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Banished
Prologue He laughed. The she-cat shuddered. Even though she was his most trusted, his best luitenent, she was still frightened by the sound. Any sane cat would be. He was watching in his Gazing Pond, stolen from StarClan in the Great War, the picture. A she-cat was being pinned down by a tom. The she-cat recognized the she-cat at once and growled. Shiningcourage. But the tom was unknown to her, and it appeared to her Master as well. He focused hard on this new cat, observing him. Finally he spoke. His voice was a low, deep, powerful rumble. It was pleasent, but you could always tell there was something lurking beneath it's surface...something evil... "We should....ah, greet, our new guest. Show him how we deal with our cats around here." he laughed, a humorless and dark sound. "Shiningcourage won't be able to save this one!" He turned to the she-cat, "Shade." she bowed her head in respect, "Get the Soul-Catchers at once! Have them bring this tom to me. With his Soul intact." Shade nodded, shaking in fear. Not for her own safety. But she knew what would happen to the tom. She could almost hear his screaming now. "Yes Soul-Taker." she padded out of the room leaving the dark gray tom to smile at the tom and she-cat in the pond, his pit-like black eyes shining. Chapter 1 Shellfish stared into the eyes of the pretty she-cat staring at him wildly. They were blue and sparkeling....her silver tabby pelt was glistening....he shook his head. No it wasn't, it was covered with sweat and dirt and blood. And her eyes were frantic, afraid. She shrieked again, "The Soul-Catchers are coming!" he rolled his eyes. "I know! But what are they? I demand you to answer me! Take me to your leader!" "My-?" her eyes became angry. She flipped him over and hissed. "I have no leader!" she ran. He was torn. He didn't want to move at all, but he was pretty sure whatever was chasing her would chase him too. He started walking slowly after her. It was a day later, he had been following the she-cat yesterdya, but he had lost her. He sighed and fell to the base of a tree. "I hate this place!" he complained loudly. "Me too." said a quiet voice. Shellfish screamed rather she-cat like and turned. Facing him was a silver she-cat with luminous, piercing blue eyes. She held a squirrel in her jaws. "Oh thanks." said Shellfish, reaching for the squirrel. She she-cat backed away unblinkingly and hit his head. He yowled. She dropped the prey and walked over to him. "You are new here so I shall tell you what danger you are in. You may ask questions. Then I advise you to kill yourself. It would be better to do that then what fate probably awaits you." Shellfish looked bored and she went on. "The Soul-Taker is the Supreme Ruler. But at a price. He steals our souls, makes us his slaves. His Soul-Catchers catch the few cats that remain, myself included and take us to him. You are in grave danger! As an outsider, he will take interest in you. He will find you. And you will be worse then dead." She padded off with the squirrel leaving a half shocked half frightened Shellfish behind. Chapter 2 Shiningcourage ran back to the Rebel's camp. Ignoring the other cats, she swept into the Wise Cat's den. She swore, Moonwhisper wasn't there. She turned to leave. The strange cat she had met today....he was an Outsider. Shiningcourage's eyes traveled around the den, her head spinning. Was he the One? She heard a cat come in the room, she could tell who it was and she sighed. "He is the One." said Moonwhisper. The Soul-Taker was not happy. He spun to face Shade who gulped. "Tell me again." he growled. She shivered. "T-the Soul-Catchers c-couldn't-" The Soul-Taker's roar shook the den. Shade remained standing but her eyes were terrified. "So, thirty of my best Soul-Catchers failed to bring down a single cat." his whisper was deady, quiet. Then he yowled, Fetch me Pearldragon!" Shade gladly moved out of the den to fetch the Soul-Taker's Seer. She entered his den without flinching at his angry gaze. "Is he?" the Soul-Taker whispered, "Tell me she-cat, is he the one!?" Pearldragon stared at her Master from heavy lidded eyes. then, very slowly, she nodded, Soul-Taker smiled in absolute glee. Chapter 3 Shellfish had been walking for days. Hot, thirsty, tiring days. He sat down under a small bush, there weren't many forests here. That annoyed him, greatly. He only really understood now that when you were on your own, forests provided prey and shade. And sometimes water in plants or creeks. He sighed. As he had been walking these last few days, he had always had Moonwhisper's warning in the back of his head. He honestly didn't know what to make of it. But sometimes as he lay down to sleep, he would hear voices, not far off. Just a little ways behind him...and they were never friendly. That kept him moving. Now he wondered where Moonwhisper was. Did she have any connection with the strange she-cat who had shrieked of the Soul-Taker first? Were they friends or Clanmates? Did they have a camp? If so, where was it? For the first time in his life, Shellfish thought. Hard. But there were so many questions and he couldn't think of answers. He couldn't hear the voices now which was good...maybe he'd lost them... Why did they want him anyways? he wondered as he gazed up at the sky. There were no stars. There never were. Moonwhispers voice rang in his ears You are an outsider....they will take interest in you...' He shuddered and tried to fall asleep. Jade crept through the Cayon. She climbed over stones and rubble until she reached her destination. The top. She sat int he cold moonlight, thinking. She knew, sooner or later, that the Soul-Taker would make his desicion. Give her the Power to Take as well as a Power of her own, or kill her. She was still hoping for the first, she had lastest far longer then most of his Luitenents, all toms, had. She peered through the gloom and-''there.'' She sighed, seeing the little oasis where she knew her sister and the Rebels slept in peace. Why couldn't she have joined them? Was it too late? Would she be saved by the Power of the One that, now all the Soul-Catchers knew, resided in their camp? Then she remembered the Luitentent before her. He had also tried to flee. She remembered what happened to him. She Mastered him now, he was just an ordinary Soul-Catcher. She shuddered. Too late. Chapter 4 crack Shellfish was jolted awake by the tiniest sound. He laughed nervously as he looked around the empty field, convincing himself no one was there. He shook his head, grinning, convinced it was just his imagination. He had just begun to slumber when- Crack Shellfish forced himself to stay down, sleeping. It was nothing more then a trick of the mind, then a- CRACK Shellfish gave an involuntary whimper. The sound was closer. Almost as if.....wait. The forest was quiet. Too- Suddenly, the air was split with the sound of war cries and yowling as heavy footsteps came closer and closer to a screaming Shellfish. It was only when he could see the bushes right next to his nest start to move that he seemingly regained his mind. He leapt up, intending to run as far as he could away from this horrible place. Well, maybe not run. But he'd find nice cats somewhere who would feed him and take him home. But sudenly, all the bushes around him were waving. He was surronded. Trapped. Moonwhispoers words came to him kill yourself....its a much kinder fate..... He looked around, desperate for a way out. But it was too late. Cats were surronding him. Chapter 5 Moonwhisper ran into the den. "Shiningcourage!" The silver she-cat looked up. "What?" Moonwhisper struggled to talk, she had rushed all the way from Waterfall to give the news to the Rebel Leader. The shock and suddeness of her vision as well as her run had knocked the wind out of her and she panted. "They-closing in-The One." Shiningcourage was on her paws in an instant then she stopped and snorted, "He deserves them! He's so rude!" Moonwhisper shook her head, still out of brfeath "If...they get...him....we doomed." She slid to the floor, panting and catching her breath leaving her leader staring out the den. No one knows how hard it is to be leader. At the Soul-Takers camp-or rather, Empire, Jade was talking to her Master from the attack zone. "He's fighting us, hard. I think we can take him but our attack isn't going smooth." The Soul-Taker snarled. The Rebels must know if the attack wasn't going good. Jade went on. "We think they're coming. We request back up to apprehend the One and a few rebels as well." Her face vanished from the pond leaving the Soul-Taker in a fury. Should he send re-inforcements? If he did, his Soul-Catcxhers were likely to beat the few, mangy Rebels. But did the One know of his Powers yet? Could he use them? There was no way to know, no way to win. The Soul-Taker stared out the den door. No one knows how hard it is to be leader. Chapter 6 Shellfish would've liked to say that he fought them for hours. That he had them begging for mercy. That he won. But this was not the case. Exhausted after only a few minutes by lack of food, water, sleep, or shade, Shellfish wasn't sure which would be worse. To give up or to keep fighting. He sunk to the ground finally, beaten. The Soul-Catchers howled their victory to the moon. Littlebrook sighed. After a day of searching, she had called off the patrols looking for Shellfish. He wasn't even worth that much time. But for some reason she kept hoping the fat lump would show up... No. she told herself. He's just another cat. It's over. And she had called off the patrols. Now she stared at the moon, wondering where Shellfish was, if he was alright, what he was doing, if he knew how much she-''NO! Stop it!'' She hissed at herself and padded to Falconstar's den to report. Chapter 7 Shingingcourage had made her decision. Yes, The One was a big fat jerk, but he was still The One and a cat not yet one of them. She had to help. She ran out of her den, into ShingingCave. The other cats all around her stared, the queens crouching over their kits, the warriors claws sliding out, ready for battle, the elders mutterings stopping. "Any cat fit to fight comes with me. We are rescueing the One and bringing him back here. Clear?" Her Rebels chorused, several of them saying good bye to their mates and friends and starting to pad to her. She sighed. Almost time. Soul-Taker had made his decision as well. He'd send more warriors. He knew Shingingcourage's thinking. In the heat of battle, she'd never even consider coming to attack his camp. Her energy would be on the One. He made the order. Shellfish had no clue at all what was happening. The attacks hd ceased but now the cats surronded him, each a fox length away, forming a large circle around the clearing. He looked at them and shuddered. They all had black eyes. Only one cat moved. It was a she-cat. Her eyes weren't black, they were jade-green and she was talking into something she help in her paw. It looked like a shell. "We have him." she was saying. "Come quick." Then she put the shell down next to one of the black-eyed cats and padded toward Shellfish, smiling broadly. Chapter 8 Shellfish stared at the she-cat. Her jade green eyes were her really defining trait. He could also tell by the way she moved that she wasn't the kind of she-cat who loved kits. More like the kind that ate them. He gulped. "W-who're you?" The cat smiled down at him, "Hello. I'm Jade. What is your name? We know who you are of course though." Shellfish was puzzled. How do they know me but not my name? ''"I'm Shellfish." "Selfish?" the she-cat looked taken aback and some of her warriors muttered things, Shellfish caught only a few of them. "..not the One?" "...caught the wrong cat..." Before he had time to puzzle over the meaning of these strange whispered sentences, he said automatically, "No, Shellfish. Shell. Fish." Jade looked slightly less confused, "Ah, I see Selfi-I mean Shellfish. Well someone would like to meet you." Shellfish dimly remembered the short conversatiopns with the she-cat and Moonwhisper. These cats were probably Soul-Eaters or whatever they'd called them. Something with a soul... He'd been zoning out, not paying attention and when he sort of woke back up, Jade was staring at him intently, the other cats laughing their paws off calling him names, the nicest of which being 'Stupid'. "He's on his way. So we'll just wait...." Jade told him. Shell-fish was sure she meant the Soul-Taker, the supreme cat. He shook his head and tried desperatly to find an escape. But the cats all blocked his way. He snarled at Jade, "I want to go. I don't want to meet this cat." Jade smiled, but this was a cold, calculating look, "That." she said in a scary tone, "Is something we cannot allow." Chapter 9 Shiningcourage was rallying the troops. If you could call them that. Several broad shouldered, well muscled toms stood in line but you would find more skinny, starving Rebels among them. She sighed. "We are rescueing ther One as you know today. He is not like us, so we need to be careful and defend him. In and out, don't act a hero. If Soul-Taker or Jade is there, let me handle them. If any of us die..." most battles, she would tell her cats to defend eachother till their last breath was drawn and to take deceased warriors back to camp so they could be layed to rest. Today was too delicate for that. "Leave them." Her cats were stoic as always but she caught flickers of fear in some of their eyes. She hated giving up her brave warriors for a the useless lump that the One was. But she had too. But she wanted her warriors to feel as if they stood a chance of winning too. "We have a weapon the Soul-Catchers do not. And we will use it." Her cats perked up. "Yes," she said, "Use your Souls. Use their protection, use everything they can give you. We ''will win!" Her Rebels cheers and yowls sliced the cool night air. He was close, so close. Shadow travel was risky, but he had to be fast. He was almost there... He imagined the scene, just as Jade had said. The One trapped, his Soul-Catchers and Jade, his faithful luitenent surronding him, escape cut off. And he, the great Soul-Taker would arrive. He painted this glorious picture in his mind and pushed himself faster. Chapter 10 Shellfish was panicking. He couldn't fight off all these cats on his own, even with his amazing warrior skills. Which, to be honest, weren't amazing. Sucky, might be a better term, if not perfect. He was in complete dispair. Then, well, a miracle happened. It was all so fast... The she-cat he had seen when he first arrived, jumped out of the bushes leading about ten cats. The Soul-0Catchers were astonished, but it didn't take long for them to regain control and attack. The screech of battle, howls of pain, and yowls of victory began. Shellfish was just so stunned, he didn't even try to help or escape, he just stood. Then, Jade gave a howl and charged him. "You're coming with me!" Shellfish yowled in fear and tried to scramble away but Jade was upon him. Suddenly, a silver blurshot out of nowhere. "Not today sis." It hissed to a moaning Jade who's eyes focused on the cat and became wide with hate. "Shingingcourage!" The other she-cat, Shingingcourage nodded, then hit Jade. Shellfish noticed her claws weren't out and her blow was meant more to stun the other cat then hurt her. The silver cat ran at Shellfish. He stuttered, "Uh....t-thanks.....I guess..." She started to say something back when a small, glowing form came out of her, it hovered at her eye level, then her eyes widened in fear. "Rebels RETREAT!" Shellfish was pulled alongside her as the Rebels raced away. "What?" he asked. "We're going to our camp. Quickly." she told him, "I'll explain things there. But right now the Soul-Catcher is coming. And he's NOT happy." End of book two. What secrets will be revealed next? Will the Soul-Taker and his evil minions catch the fleeing Rebels? Find out in the next installment of the series: All Mine! Category:[[Artimas Hunter's Fanfics]] Category:Artimas Hunter's Fanfics